Las Vegas really is unique in so many ways. One of them is that its history is equally short and intense and can be told through the birth and demise of the resorts that dot the Strip, the rise and fall of its industry titans. The casino industry, that is. Following this common thread, we'll get to know the vast majority of casino hotels built along Las Vegas Boulevard South, the most celebrated and most visited stretch of asphalt on Earth, starting in 1941 with the El Rancho Vegas. Great emphasis will be given to the key players in the triumph of this oasis of fun in the middle of nowhere, the dreamers that made a town that's the stuff of dreams. Jay Sarno, Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian, Bill Bennett, Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson are their names. Mind you: this is not a travel guide. In fact, it is so much more than that.